Traveling through the country is relatively easy, if just a little chaotic, with overcrowded buses moving along clogged roads where lanes are mere suggestions, and trains packed to the gills with people hanging off the edges (which actually is kind of fun). English is widely spoken, though, so once you get used the chaos, it isn’t too difficult to get around.

But there are a few things you should know before you visit to avoid getting scammed, overspending, and, like me, missing some of the scenic trains!

Sri Lanka Travel Guide: 14 Great Tips

Travel Tip 1: Water: You shouldn’t really drink the water in Sri Lanka, so bring a reusable water bottle with a purifier. It’s really hot, so to keep hydrated, you’d probably spend 300 rupees ($2 USD) per day on plastic bottles of water at 60 rupees ($0.40 USD) each. But a water bottle with a purifier costs just $20 USD (though my preferred brand Lifestraw is slightly more). Over the course of a two-week trip, that’s an $8 USD savings (and you help the environment too)!

Travel 2: Food: Outside of the major cities of Colombo and Kandy, you won’t find many non-Sri Lankan or non-Indian food options. What you do find is a poor excuse for Western food that is overpriced and often a chain. Stick to the local food! It’s super delicious. I never knew much about Sri Lankan food before hand but now I’m hooked! Just eat it all! Balaji Dosai in Kandy; Ahinsa in Sigiriya; Upali’s in Colombo; Hot Hut in Nuwara Eliya; and the restaurants across from the bus station in Anuradhapura were some of my favorite.

Travel Tip 3: More about food: Food, besides being crazy good, is also really cheap in Sri Lanka! Local food costs about $1-3 USD per meal for simple dishes of dosas (a kind of pancake), kottu (a dish made of roti (flatbread), vegetables, egg and/or meat, and spices), rice, chicken, and everything in between. At restaurants with table service, you’ll pay closer to $5 USD.

Travel Tip 4: Alcohol: Don’t expect too many chances to drink alcohol. Outside the coastal tourist towns and the capital of Colombo, there isn’t much nightlife or opportunities to drink. While you can always crack a beer at your guesthouse, Sri Lanka isn’t home to a big drinking/nightlife culture. Expect your nights to be tame.

Travel Tip 5: Tuk-tuks: You can hire drivers cheaply. Any tuk-tuk driver will let you hire them for the day. Expect to pay around $20 USD for the day. Moreover, tuk-tuk drivers are pretty honest, except in Colombo, where they will try to scam and overcharge you. Elsewhere in the country, you’ll get a fair deal. There’s no need to try to bargain hard.

Travel Tip 6: Airport transfer: There is a train to the airport you can take from Colombo Fort. It’s the cheapest way to get there, at 30 rupees ($0.20 USD). A tuk-tuk ride is about 2,500 rupees ($17 USD), and buses to the airport cost 110 rupees ($0.75 USD) and leave about every 30 minutes from Colombo Central Bus Station or Mawatha Bus Station.

Travel Tip 7: Trains: Train travel, while often slower, are the cheapest way to get around. Some typical routes: Colombo to Jaffna is 150-445 rupees ($1-3 USD), Jaffna to Anuradhapura is 150-295 rupees ($1-2 USD), Kandy to Nuwara Eliya is 85-280 rupees ($0.60-1.90 USD), and Colombo to Galle is 150-295 rupees ($1-2 USD).

Travel Tip 8: Booking trains: If you are taking the scenic train from Kandy to Nuwara Eliya or Ella (or vice versa) and want a seat, book it in advance through a travel agency, as tickets can’t be booked in person at the station unless it’s done four days before departure. You can always (and only) get a cramped second-class ticket (where you’ll learn the new meaning of a tight squeeze) on the day of departure. Many people will tell you to get to the station at 7am to buy a train ticket, but they don’t start selling them until 8am, so don’t listen to those people. Also, the concept of “sold out” doesn’t apply to “cattle class.”

Travel Tip 9: Sigiriya: If you are visiting Sigiriya, get there when it opens at 8am to avoid huge lines and crowds at the site. If you are there after 10am, the crowds are so overwhelming it’s not worth visiting. It takes an hour to walk up as it’s single-file all the way!

Travel Tip 10: Anuradhapura: If you are visiting Anuradhapura, tickets are $25 USD but are never checked unless you are entering the museum. (I also noticed Western tourists were the only ones ever asked to show a ticket at the museum.) Enter the site without paying by using the tiny road just southeast of the museum.

Travel Tip 11: Visiting temples: You’ll have to take your socks and shoes off before visiting temples, even if they are outdoors, so bring flip-flops to keep your socks clean!

Travel Tip 13: Galle: Galle is only worth a day trip. Don’t stay over in the town. There is not much to do there at all.

Travel Tip 14: Accommodation: There are a lot of cheap accommodation throughout the country. You’ll usually get breakfast with your room too. Private rooms with your own bathroom start at $10 USD per night. Add $5 if you want air conditioning.

Typical Costs in Sri Lanka

Overall, I would say you couldn’t need more than a budget of $30 – 40 USD per day. The country is very cheap, especially if you stick to delicious local or Indian cuisine (the food is so cheap there’s no reason to grocery shop and cook your own meals), avoid the overpriced Western style restaurants (local food tastes much better anyways), travel second class and on buses, and don’t go crazy with the accommodation. Ever though I was on a budget, I didn’t go as low as I could (dorms every night, only Sri Lankan food, minimal activities, etc) and still found it was hard to break the bank. The expensive days in which I took a tour or decided to try some fancy restaurant were balanced out on the other days I didn’t.

Here is a list of prices to help you get an idea of costs in Sri Lanka:

Airport taxi – 2,500 rupees

National Museum in Colombo – 600 rupees

Train from Jaffna to Anuradhapura – 340 rupees

Bottle of water – 60 rupees

Bus from Anuradhapura to Dambulla – 340 rupees

Tuk-tuk from Dambulla to Sigiriya – 1,000 rupees

Kottu chicken (and water) – 370 rupees

Lunch 2 – 500 rupees

Tuk-tuk – 200 rupees

Bus from Dambulla to Kandy – 98 rupees

Hostel in Kandy – 600 rupees

Temple of the Tooth in Kandy – 1000 rupees

Dosai dinner in Kandy – 200 rupees

Train to Nuwara Eliya, second class – 160 rupees

Beer – 500 rupees

Bus to Tissamaharama (Tissa) – 240 rupees

Bus to Galle – 307

Western lunch in Galle (burger and fries) – 1,200 rupees

Some favorites: For accommodation, I really liked the Kandy Downtown Hostel; Palitha Home Stay in Sigiriya; and Galle Fort Hostel in Galle. For restaurants, besides the bulleted list above, I would also recommend the Ministry of Crab. It’s an expensive seafood restaurant in Colombo but it’s delicious! Sri Lankan crab is famous worldwide and they have gigantic ones. It’s not cheap but sometimes, you just have to treat yourself. While I didn’t go out much, if you find yourself in Kandy, the Slightly Chilled Bar is a popular meeting spot and has wonderful views of the city (and the sunset).

Sri Lanka Itineraries By Region

Most travelers focus on the southern half of the country, with its hiking and beach towns. After decades of war, the north has a legacy of destruction that has yet to go away.

Though I originally had planned to explore only the south due to my limited time there (just two weeks), I was offered the opportunity to talk to a member of Parliament in Jaffna up north and learn about the Tamil war, so I rearranged my route thus:

I was glad I did. Seeing the north gave me an added perspective on a portion of the country without hordes of other tourists. In fact, in my time up north, I saw only four Westerners.

And though Sri Lanka may look like a small island, there is a lot to see and do there! More than I imagined. Anuradhapura and Sigiriya both have amazing ancient ruins. Kandy is filled with hiking treks, a big Buddhist temple, and a butterfly garden. Nuwara Eliya is known for its hiking, Tissa is the gateway to Yala National Park (which has elephants and leopards), and Galle is a beautiful old Dutch fort town.

Even though I covered a lot of ground in my two weeks, I still missed many places, including Ella (more hiking), Arugam Bay (beaches), and most of the southern coast (more beaches and nightlife). I raced through the country and crammed too much into such a short period of time. I wouldn’t recommend going at such a breakneck pace.

If I had to do it all over again, I would break Sri Lanka into two parts — the north/center and the south — and focus on one of those regions. There’s simply too much to do, and travel around the country is too slow to try to cover so much ground in a limited time.

If like me, you only have a couple of weeks, I would suggest just one of the following routes:

(Note: This route is kind of quick too so if you’re pressed for time, you could cut out one of the beach cities.)

If you have a month, you could do both of these routes plus add in one or all of the coastal towns of Arugam Bay, Negombo, or Trincomalee.

One thing to know is that once you’ve done the major things in a city, there’s very little reason to stay. For example, Tissa is the gateway to Yala National Park. Tour operators run most tours in the early morning (a higher chance of seeing animals) so if you took one of those tours, you could be on a bus moving on to your next destination by lunch time. There’s really not much else in the town. The same could with Jaffna. Tick a few boxes and then move on. Galle is more a day trip from a nearby beach town than a place to spend a few days. There was so little to do there I just went back to Colombo instead of staying the night. Sigiriya and Dambulla can be done in two nights (though I added an extra night because I liked the family I was staying with). Nuwara Eliya, Ella, Kandy, Arugam Bay, Trincomalee – those places have more activities and are worth spending a longer time in.

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Sri Lanka is an easy country to visit, and with a few tips, you can travel there with ease. This is a very budget-friendly country, even if you go nuts on the attractions and tours. I didn’t spend a lot of money, averaging just $35 USD per day. (Any expensive days will be balanced out with the cheap days where you just walk around, hike, or sit on the beach!)

Looking at the map of Sri Lanka, you might say, “Oh, it’s not that big. I bet I can cover a lot of ground in a short period if time.” You could, but you won’t “see” much. It will be too much of a blur.

Sri Lanka may be small but it packs a powerful punch. I loved it a lot. Take your time to see this land of jungles, waterfalls, monkeys, delicious food, and lovely people! I’m already planning my next trip back.

I guess no offense answering this question as a local. The originality, hospitality and the generocity of people as well as the diversity of weather and the eco system would be the highlight of Sri Lanka. It is such a small country with a vast variety of weather. One can go from a single place to another in around 3 hours and everything changes. The trees, the animals, the temperature the people the surroundings etc. on the coast in Colombo it is around 30 degrees celcius average and up in the hills in Nuwara Eliya it drops to around 10 – 15 degrees celcius. Welcome to visit Bruno. I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

`Great and very useful tips ! My roommate is from Sri Lanka and when I saw her photos when she went there this year I loved it ! I never though about that country as my one of top destinations but I guess I just never seen enough of photos or videos to love it right away

im curious as im a woman and Im traveling alone around the country. Do you think I would need to rent a car for any portion of the trip. Someone has offered a car at $30 per day. As I plan to spend 4 weeks in Sri Lanka I wanted to see more animal parks besides Yala. Would you have any suggestions

You are 100% safe even as a female travellar,But you have to be careful with few things. Mostly Tuk tuks in Colombo(They will tell you higher prices always you have to bargin the price),And when you are at the beaches,And when you travell in public transportationif it’s crowdwd you have to take care of your things. As a Sri Lankan I promis you there is Zero violence againts tourists but to be honest most of the time you get cheated.

$30 is perfect price per day for a Car(But if it’s included dricver’s expences) Normally cheapest which I know is $50 per day.

Please mention the difference between Galle and Galle Fort. Galle is the main city with not much charm and not much to do (although I always love just walking around any city). Galle Fort (as per your last photo) is the small enclave surrounded by a fort. It’s super charming with lots of restaurants and coffee shops (and shopping). It even has a small beach. The whole area is wonderful to hang out a couple of days in to catch up on some R&R. Walking around the fort taking in the views of the Indian Ocean was a favorite pastime! Also, if Sigiriya isn’t in your budget, go to Pidurangala Rock instead. It’s not too far from Sigiriya and it costs about $1 to get in. If you love a climbing challenge (with 5000 steps), head to Adam’s Peak (it’s free!). I wrote all about my trip to Sri Lanka on my website. 🙂

Great composition Lydia. Cannot be more accurate. Pidurangala gives a wonderful view of the Sigiriya rock. Galle fort was built by the ducth around 300 years ago. It is like a mini european atmosphere in there.

Wow you’re trip looked amazing, but I totally agree that there is simply too much to see in a short trip. Although I didn’t have the honor of speaking with a member of Parliament haha, my trip was only 15 days and even that seemed to fly by. By far, my favorite part was Dambulla with the cave temple. So majestic, I see that you stopped there too. I would highly recommend to anyone traveling in Sri Lanka. I personally went on an Intrepid tour through the country, and it was a cool way to get all the highlights in. I just wish I had more time :/ Thanks for sharing Matt. (If anyone is interested, I talk about my trip on my blog.)

Thank you so much for visiting Sri Lanka and the lovely post! Yes, you have missed a lot from what i see. Sri Lankans do love a good night out and there are millions of places even in Colombo. Next time you visit i am sure you would have more fun and memories.

Great post. I would avoid not paying for historical site entry if you can, just in case they use the money to preserve the sites.
I did some hiking there a few years ago. Adam’s Peak and World’s End are well worth a visit. Really loved Sigiriya but we did get surrounded by a swarm of killer wasps. We stayed really still and quiet so remained unharmed.

This is an excellent resource that I will be referring to if and when we go to Sri Lanka. I have seen the food on a travel show and it looks right up my alley and with a price of $1 to $3 that is so affordable. The fact that English is widely spoken would make travel a lot easier. Lots of great info here.

Thanks a lot for that post and the huge amount of information. It will definitely help me plan where to go and what to do. I will be scuba diving in Weligama and now want to find some other things to do and see besides the underwater world. So looking forward to my trip to Sri Lanka, now even more.

Hey Sarah!
Sri Lanka is definitely one of those places you need to keep on your bucket list! 8 months sure seems like a long time, you should definitely come down. It’s such a good country to travel to mainly because it’s comparatively small and you can see quite a lot of places in a short span of time.

Nice Article Matt.
I’ve never had much of an interested i travelling to Sri Lanka butfrom your photos it looks like a beautiful place but i guess it depends where you go.
Its also suprisingly cheap!
Thanks for the info! Might have to pop it on my bucket list, its a fairly short flight from Australia (over going to Europe).

Wow, really amazing. Thank you for sharing such interesting and informative guide. I’m going to Sri Lanka next week and your tips and itineraries seem really interesting and useful. I’m a student and for me, such travels are pretty good for discovering the world out from US. I really want to relax and don’t think about my college assignments, so to deal with I use online writing services that provide me really original and pretty quality paper.

Wow, what a great post! I’ve seen so much about Sri Lanka lately for some reason. A few friends are from there so I’ve seen photos popping up recently on Instagram which has given me reason to open my eyes to it I think. Stunning! You’ve given such a great rundown here so I’ll certainly be referring back to it! Thank you!

Nice breakdown! I loved my stay in Colombo 3 years ago. So much to do, fab eats and it had a certain gritty feel where we stayed. Actually, those folks hanging outside of the trains we saw was about the funniest thing we watched unfold in Sri Lanka. Like sardines packed into a tin can, but hanging out at all possible angles LOL.

A friend who once arrived from her Sri Lankan trip was gushing about how beautiful the place is, with lots of interesting sites, and cultural attractions. It piqued my interest about this country since then and I have been browsing the net, reading various references to the place. I’m glad to have read your post. It’s a great help especially when I finally get to plan a trip to Sri Lanka.

Hello! I’m Sri Lankan and thank you for sharing this wonderful article. So nice to see how the readers are intrigued to visit Sri Lanka after reading this blog!
If you are ever coming back to Sri Lanka, let me know and I can provide with much more services with accommodation / transport and information as well.

Meshaun, I am a 74 year old American woman planning to visit Sri Lanka within the next month. I will be on a very limited budget and have been alarmed at the cost of hotels/guesthouses. Are there any rooms available in a price range of $8 to $12 in Colombo? I would need a private room as I am a little old to enjoy the dorm rooms!!! I had planned on spending my time in Colombo but after reading this blog I may want to branch out a little more! Any help you can give me will be greatly appreciated!

I will be traveling in Sri Lanka for the last 3 weeks of january. My girlfriend feels we need to make reservations ahead for accommodation. I would prefer to go with a looser itinerary finding accommodation on the fly. Will it be difficult to find a place to stay waiting to the last minuet?
Thanks for your imput

Hallo and thank you for this post, very inspiring. Do you have a reccomondation for a Place to stay in Colombo? We are still at the beginning of our travel plan for Sri Lanka but at the present time I feel the choice of an area in Colombo as difficult.

Love the post! I’m headed there at the end of May and still working out my itinerary, originally I wanted to get to Jaffna, then I thought it would be too far to go, but now I’m throwing it back in!

I’ve been wondering about attire there, is it okay for women to wear shorts? I’m planning to do a good amount of hiking and I’m a very warm person! I just want to be sure don’t disrespect their culture.

Hi. My friend and I (two girls from India) are planning to travel to Sri Lanka sometime in August. I wanted to know if you organized your trip through an agent or you booked your accommodation and travel at each destination separately on your own.

Hi!
I will be travelling to Sri Lanka in June/July 2017 and I’m wondering what currency I should have on me. I have spoken to several people about this and the answer is always different. Some say you only need USD, others say Sri Lankan Rupee and others say both. Some advice on this would be great!
Thanks!

I will have whole month next year for holidays and Sri Lanka is the place I want to go. So, since I will have 30 days to spare, what’s the best month to travel? I’m looking forward hiking, the scenic train and the beach.

Helpful post but as a western traveller in a poor country, extremely disappointed to find you seeking to avoid a small fee to experience a world heritage listed cultural site, and moreover, sharing this information with others. May be worthwhile considering your relationship with and impact on those places you travel to, rather than how you can take whatever you can (including experiences) at least cost to yourself.

I was thoroughly enjoying reading this until you suggested that people dont pay for entry to a tourist attraction. Do you understand that this money goes towards upkeep and preservation of this site that you have traveled half the world to see. In the grand scheme of things perhaps if you cant “afford” to pay $25 to enter these incredible sites you dont deserve to go!! Disgusting behavior!!

Hi
We are off to Sri Lanka in two weeks. Everything organised and set.
We have been advised to change our Sterling into Rupees when we arrive to pay for the places that only take cash. The rest of the time we are using no fee credit/debit cards.
Do you advise to change to Rupees as some places ask for Rupees or US dollars
Thanks
Jo

This is super helpful as I’m going in may, I’m there for only four days and I want to see some beautiful sights but I’m not sure where I should be based . My friend thinks Colombo but I think we should be closer inland. Where do you think we should stay for a short visit?